Loura walks into the Morusipo hill range accompanied by two colleagues (one being Ewar Kulany, who is seeking wood to make an ekichielong stool/headrest) to find an elim tree in order to cut off a straight branch to make a spear. After finding appropriate pieces of wood, Loura burns them on a fire to dry them out, bends them to make them straighter and begins removing their bark.
Session
C004Rights owner
Samuel Frederick DerbyshireCultural group
TurkanaParticipants
Loura Echuman EkaaleCountry
KenyaPlace
Morusipo, TurkanaItem/object
Spear (akwara)Techniques of production
Burned, Bent, Cut-cutMaterials
Wood-persimmon (Diospyros scabra)Materials alt
ElimCultural context/event
General productionSocial group setting
Craftsperson at work aloneLocation
BushTemporality
The construction of spears has long been an integral component of daily life in Turkana, and a skill that most adult men possess. In the deeper past, spears would have been constructed on a far more regular basis, up until the 1960s-70s most men would carry two spears on their person when moving about the landscape. In more recent years, the construction of spears has become less common in line with their declining ubiquity in everyday mundane activities (and the proliferation of semi-automatic weapons). Nevertheless, they remain integral to asapan, and a variety of other important rituals and ceremonies. The metal spear components utilised on this occasion were purchased from Lodwar and probably initially came from Samburu communities in Maralal. Far from reflecting any recent transformation in the production of spears in Turkana, this articulates a long history of trade and exchange with external, metal producing communities. Throughout history, Turkana communities have never produced metal locally, relying instead on variety of neighbouring populations for this commodity. Moreover, the purchase of spear heads and bases from Lodwar has long been a common activity, most probably dating back to Lodwar’s emergence as a regional administrative centre during the early colonial era.Date of creation
2020-03-01Unique ID
2019LG02-C004-0390
